A new study suggests that a surprising number of atheists are taking their children to church.

Research published in the December issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion found that 17 percent of atheist professors with children reported attending more than one religious service in the past year.

The study's principal investigator, Rice University sociologist Elaine Howard Ecklund, says that while some atheist academics attended religious services to please their spouses, others were seeking the company of fellow parents or wanted to expose their children to a moral environment. She says some atheist scientists simply wanted their children to learn about religion so they could make up their own minds....